Just Like You
by Azeleas
Summary: Luffy had been disappearing a lot after training as of late, which in turn causes Ace to worry about his dumb little brother.


Luffy had been disappearing a lot after training as of late. Ace didn't pay much attention to these strange occurrences at first, but it had been bothering him since it kept on happening over and over.

Luffy always loved to follow Ace around wherever he went, so it's kind of unusual – not to mention upsetting – when he stopped doing it. He had grown surprisingly accustomed to the younger one's affectionate behavior. Luffy, however, would repeatedly tell him that he wanted to get stronger or that he wanted to learn how to survive without his big brother's help. Ace knew something was wrong the moment those words came out of his mouth. Ever since Sabo died, the both of them were practically attached at the hip. Thinking about Luffy running off by himself brought back those horrifying memories of that time when his little brother almost died without his assistance.

Ace tried to look for him at the Gray Terminal, basically the entire forest, and even at their old tree house – though he highly doubted that he would find Luffy there. The both of them swore to never go there again after the death of their precious brother. It didn't feel the same without him, which is why they built their own, separate countries, much to Dadan's surprise.

He wanted to ask Dadan about it, but a part of him wasn't sure if he really wanted to know. Luffy only confided in Ace, so if he started telling her things he wasn't aware of, it would simply mean that he wasn't the most important person to Luffy anymore. Even if he were to empirically disregard the obvious fact that Dadan was their foster mother, Ace and Luffy never told anyone of their affairs. He was rather surprised to find himself moderately depressed about the thought of Luffy going to someone else for help. What if his thoughts were confirmed? That would only tear him apart, so he gave up on confronting her about it.

One day, when Ace decided to find things out for himself, he didn't expect the younger boy to follow the path that led them straight to the cliffs where the brothers made their promises – all hopes wrapped in a full smile, and unimaginable wishes and dreams in eyes that shined. The quiet place was meant for thinking and reflecting, so it was somewhat alarming to Ace why his little brother would go there.

Once they reached their destination, Luffy went to lay on his back, crossed his arms behind his head, and closed his eyes.

Hiding behind one of the trees, Ace found himself slightly disappointed, albeit still a little relieved, at the display of his baby brother merely sleeping. If he only wanted to get some sleep, he should have just said so. Their training was getting more intense lately, but it was needed. They couldn't afford to waste time by playing around.

Ace didn't know how long he was watching his little brother. He lost his train of thoughts when Luffy unexpectedly sat upright.

_So he was awake after all..._ Luffy brought something small out of his pocket that looked like a mirror. Ace's confusion was growing with every passing minute.

He heard Luffy muttering something inaudible after he looked at himself in the mirror. He actually looked a bit annoyed.

"Hmph! 'S not enough yet!" He was flailing his arms in the air and kicking his feet in all directions before he laid back down again.

Ace snorted, a tiny smile creeping into his expression. _What was that idiot getting so worked up over?_

He didn't realize he was caught snooping around until the younger boy called out to him.

"Ace!" he yelled, "What are you doing here?" He was grinning out of focus.

"Aren't I the one who's supposed to be asking questions?" Ace made his way to Luffy as he stepped away from behind the tree and sat himself down right next to Luffy. "So this is where you've been running off to..."

"Mm-hm! You weren't supposed to find out so soon though." he said with a beaming smile. Ace was trying so hard not to scold him for running off by himself.

"What were you doing, stupid?"

"Huh? Oh. I was trying to get freckles. Just like you, Ace!" he said, sitting up excitedly.

Well... that explains why he was aimlessly laying around and why he was coming back home more tanned than usual, after his puzzling disappearances. Ace, though, was too shocked to process what he'd just been told. "Why would you want to do that?" he asked, blinking.

Luffy furrowed his brow and tilted his head slightly to the left, a sign that he was confused by Ace's question. "'Cause your freckles are cute, every single one of them." he answered simply like it's the most obvious thing in the world.

That still didn't answer his question, but Ace knew what he was trying to get at. He once told Luffy how his freckles were among the many things he was bullied for, as a child. He didn't care what other people thought or said about him, but compared to all those other venomous words that spewed from people's lips, the ones about the freckles he got from his warm-hearted mother – which he was so proud of – cut him the most.

Luffy was obviously trying to make him feel more confident about himself in his own weird way, which was so unlike everyone else. He was everything he was not. He was everything that everyone else was not. He was not simply beautiful – he was adorable, and warm and holding his hand. His heart flipped in his chest. No one was meant to be so nice.

_Thank you._

His thoughts were suddenly interrupted by Luffy tugging the same hand he was holding just a moment ago. "Aaaaaaaaace! Are you even listening to me?" he whined through pursed lips.

"Uh, yeah. Sorry Lu." He ruffled the top of his head affectionately, his gentle smile never leaving his face.

Luffy huffed. "Well... do I look like you now?" He was waiting impatiently, an expectant expression on his face.

He didn't have as many freckles as Ace – who seemed to have them speckling a good portion of his cheeks and nose – but he did have a small dusting either side of his nose and across the bridge, the faded brown barely noticeable in everyday life. All the sunbathing he had been doing kind of paid off. It didn't matter all that much to him though. All that mattered to him was his sweet, innocent, and accepting baby brother.

So he grabbed Luffy into a hug, buried his face into his chest, and said, "Yeah, we're a perfect match."


End file.
